Animated advertising sign



Oct. 13, 1964 H. 1 wARlNER ANIMATED ADVERTISING SIGN Filed July 24. 1961 ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,152,413 ANIMATED ADVERTISING SIGN Henry L. Wariner, 31S Highland Ave., Fayetteville, N.C. Filed July 24, 1961, Ser. No. 126,175 6 Claims. (Cl. lill-28.1)

This invention relates to the advertising and sale of commodities of various kinds and to apparatus and equipment employed in directing attention to products offered for sale and which equipment is of a character to enlist the interest of the public in the products to be sold.

The invention relates particularly to advertising devices which provide motion or animation to attract the attention of the public and specifically to an outdoor advertising sign constructed to be mounted upon a moving vehicle such as that employed in the delivery of merchandise for the adver-tiser.

It has been customary to advertise a particular establishment by physical signs representative of the business of the advertiser, one of such signs being a mortar and pestle on the top of a delivery vehicle; however appearance was the sole characteristic of the device and since there was no motion, sound, or other feature which appealed to and alerted one or more of the senses the attraction of the attention of the public has not been as great as has been desired.

lt is an object of the invention to provide an advertising sign of simple and inexpensive construction capable of being readily manufactured and easily installed, but although durable will require minimum upkeep, as well as a sign which will effectively perform the function or service for that which it was designed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an advertising sign adapted to be mounted upon a delivery or other vehicle and which by its physical appearance and its animation or movement, with or Withoutillumination and an audible signal, will attract and hold the attention and will impress upon the public the nature of the business and the name of the proprietor thereof.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction With the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIG. l is a perspective illustrating one application of the invention;

FIG. 2, a vertical section of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, a section on the line 3 3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4, an enlarged fragmentary detail section on the line 1 4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5, an enlarged section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

Briefly stated, the present invention is a physical structure the appearance of which is suggestive of the nature and proprietor of a business. Specifically it is a mortar and pestle resembling device with straps for mounting the mortar on the top of a delivery vehicle and a pestle fixed to a central rotatable post or shaft to cause the pestle to rotate varying amounts due to the motion of the vehicle and with supports for the post in the mortar as well as a sound maker as for example of the tuning fork type of device for producing audible sound when the pestle traverses a certain location in its travel along the top of the mortar and a circuit breaker likewise is in the path of travel of the pestle for completing the circuit to .a lamp mounted within the mortar.

With continued reference to the drawing, the invention comprises an annular wall or sleeve lltl which may be open at its bottom and having an upper end or top portion 11 rounded or outwardly curved for attractiveness and appearance and to simulate the upper portion of .a conventional mortar used by a druggist or pharmaeist. A pair of straps are provided by means of which the mortar is adapted to be fastened in place upon a vehicle on which it is mounted, such straps each having a central portion 12 with upturned end portions 13 having openings 14 for the reception of bolts and nuts 15 for adjustable securing to such central portions the upturned end portions 16 of end straps 17 having hooks 18 adapted to engage the edge of the top of the vehicle at each side of the same so that when the bolts and nuts are tightened the straps will be securely mounted in position.

The Wall or sleeve lil is attached to the central strap portion 12 by means of brackets 19 fastened by rivets Ztl to the central strap portion 12 and fastened to the wall or sleeve 1t) by means of a bolt 21.

Within the area occupied by the wall or sleeve 1t) across a pair of the central straps 12 is mounted a base composed of cross members 22 which may be channel shaped in cross section, such cross members being secured as by fusion 23 to the sleeve 16.

Near the upper portion of the wall or sleeve is a brace of additional cross members 24 similar to the cross members 22 and having their ends fused or otherwise fastened to the sleeve 1h and the cross members 22 and 24 mount spaced bearings 25 in which an upright post or shaft 26 is mounted for relatively free rotation within the bearings 2S. The bearings 25 are supported in a cup 25 integral with or secured by rivets 27 to the cross members 22 and 2d, the post or shaft Z6 having a projection such as a cotter pin 2S in an opening 29 and fixed against axial movement along the shaft and resting upon the bearings 25 for free and easy rotation in such bearings.

Mounted on the post or shaft 26 by means of a bolt di) is a radially extending cross arm 31 having fixed thereto an angular nipple 32 to which is secured by a bolt 33 a pestle simulating arm 34 having a bulbous end enlargement 3S on its outer end above and beyond the wall or sleeve 1t). Thus due to the movement of such Wall or sleeve occasioned by the moving of the vehicle to which it is fastened the arm 34 will swing different amounts.

To the pestle simulating arm 34 is fastened a sound maker 36 adapted to engage one or more projections 37 on the inside of the sleeve, the member 36 being of a construction to produce a sound attractive to the ear so that upon yrotation of the pestle 34 its Weight will be sufficient to cause the sound maker 35 to travel past the obstruction 37 to produce a sound.

In order to produce light, light producing means is mounted within the sleeve 1t), such light producing means including lamps 38 adapted to be energized by a battery 39 through conductors 4t) and 41 subject to one or more circuit makers 42 closed by an arm 43 carried on the shaft 2-6 coming in contact with the same, said circuit makers and breakers being fixed to the cross arms 22.

In the operation of the device, the radially extending cross arm will cause the shaft Z6 to rotate within the bearings 25 due to the swaying and momentum of the vehicle when the vehicle is moving and to the resistance to the wind when the vehicle is stopped. Rotation of the cross arm will cause the sound maker 36 to engage one or more of the projections 37 and cause such sound maker to produce a pleasing sound. Likewise, rotation of the cross arm will open and close a circuit to the lamps 3u to cause such lamps to flash on and off and thereby attract attention.

If desired, specific advertising indicia may be placed on the sleeve 1li as well as on the pestle simulating arm 34- and enlargement 35. In this manne-r the attention of passers-by is directed to the advertising indicia to enhance the sales appeal of the service or product thereon.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that a simple inexpensive advertising sign of unit construction is provided which can be sold in a package and easily installed on a conventional automobile or other vehicle and which will attract by appearance, by illumination, by motion, and by sound, and consequently it effectively will perform the advertising function desired.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in `the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawing and described in the specification, but oniy as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An advertising sign comprising multiple mounting straps of adjustable length having hooks on their ends for engaging opposite sides of a vehicle top or other structure on which they are to be mounted, a mortar simulating wall or sleeve iixed to said mounting straps, spaced supports attached to and extending across said sleeve from side to side, bearings supported in each of said spaced supports, a shaft mounted in said bearings and having portions engaging said bearings for limiting axial movement of the shaft in said bearings, a cross arm on said shaft, a pestle simulating member xed to one side of said cross arm and extending above and beyond said mortar simulating sleeve, a sound maker carried by said pestle simulating member, projections located within said sleeve for engagement by said sound maker upon rotation of the latter, illumination means located within said sleeve and including a lamp, a source of energy, and circuit making and breaking means having fixed and movable portions for causing said lamp to flash on and off during the rotation of the pestle simulating member.

2. An animated advertising sign for a Vehicle comprising a hollow mortar simulating sleeve, strap means of adjustable length for `supporting said sleeve and for mounting said sleeve on the vehicle, support means attached to and extending across said sleeve from side to side, bearing means located in said support means substantially along the vertical axis of said sleeve, a freely rotatable shaft carried by said bearing means and extending above said support means, pestle simulating crossarm means fixed to said shaft above said support means to permit full rotation thereof, said crossarm means extending generally lradially and upwardly trom said shaft to a position outwardly of said sleeve and closely adjacent the upper edge of the sleeve, and substantially all of the mass of said crossarm means being located on one side of said shaft so that said crossarm means will be rotated by movement of the vehicle or by resistance to the wind.

3. The structure of claim 2 including a sound maker carried by said pestle simulating member, projections located within said sleeve for engagement by said sound maker upon rotation of the latter.

4. The structure of claim 2 including illumination means by which flashes of light can be produced within said sleeve.

5. The structure of claim 4 including said illumination means including a lamp and a source of energy.

6. The structure of claim 5 including circuit making and breaking means.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,061,505 Shoenberg May 13, 1913 1,875,676 Taplin Sept. 6, 1932 2,092,520 Nielsen Sept. 7, 1937 2,606,381 Wilson Aug. 12, 1952 2,753,830 Pillsbury et al. July 10, 1955 2,798,321 Duff July 9, 1957 

2. AN ANIMATED ADVERTISING SIGN FOR A VEHICLE COMPRISING A HOLLOW MORTAR SIMULATING SLEEVE, STRAP MEANS OF ADJUSTABLE LENGTH FOR SUPPORTING SAID SLEEVE AND FOR MOUNTING SAID SLEEVE ON THE VEHICLE, SUPPORT MEANS ATTACHED TO AND EXTENDING ACROSS SAID SLEEVE FROM SIDE TO SIDE, BEARING MEANS LOCATED IN SAID SUPPORT MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE VERTICALLY AXIS OF SAID SLEEVE, A FREELY ROTATABLE SHAFT CARRIED BY SAID BEARING MEANS AND EXTENDING ABOVE SAID SUPPORT MEANS, PESTLE SIMULATING CROSSARM MEANS FIXED TO SAID SHAFT ABOVE SAID SUPPORT MEANS TO PERMIT FULL ROTATION THEREOF, SAID CROSSARM MEANS EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY AND UPWARDLY FROM SAID SHAFT TO A POSITION OUTWARDLY OF SAID SLEEVE AND CLOSELY ADJACENT THE UPPER EDGE OF THE SLEEVE, AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF THE MASS OF SAID CROSSARM MEANS BEING LOCATED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID SHAFT SO THAT SAID CROSSARM MEANS WILL BE ROTATED BY MOVEMENT OF THE VEHICLE OR BY RESISTANCE TO THE WIND. 